Identity is one big issue.
When a good old friend fails to recognize you, you feel hurt. You even begin to wonder: was the friendship worth all that?
Most of the political conflicts between states and nations are somewhere liked to identity.
The current uproar over US customs personnel asking SRK to step aside for a “secondary inspection” is also linked to identity. Why should India’s number one actor be so intensely and intrusively questioned on his entry to the US?

Shah Rukh Khan, known as the "King of Bollywood", was held for two hours at an airport outside New York. The actor has lashed out at airport officials over the episode. (AFP/File/Gianluigi Guercia - For source of photo click on it)
This hue and cry over Shah Rukh Khan’s so called detention is unjustified, I feel. It smacks of a lack of understanding of the way the US works and also of our glorified self-importance. There is nothing unusual about being moved aside for a “second inspection”. It’s done, when credentials of the entrant is not fully clear in the first instance and more details are sought. Such people are moved aside to another area, so that others waiting in the queue aren’t unnecessarily delayed.
It’s too much to expect an ordinary US customs officer to know who Shah Rukh Khan is, when many US citizens aren’t quite aware of what’s happening in their own country. (I recently happened to meet a professor of computer science from a US university, who was visiting India. We were discussing H1N1 infections. Quite surprisingly he wasn’t aware that all the US states had been affected, and close to 550 people had died in the US due to H1N1 virus!)
Generally in the US, processes are system-driven, unlike in India where they are largely person-driven. There could have been some point in SRK’s documentation that needed more clarification. When he had done nothing wrong, where was the need to panic? All Shah Rukh should have done was to sit back and let the process sort itself out. When US congressmen, senators, nobel laureates and other locally important people are similarly moved aside for further questioning, how can one expect an exceptional treatment for Indians.
I appreciate former President Abdul Kalam’s attitude to this. He complied with the security protocol of Continental Airlines, while he was frisked before boarding a flight to Newark in April this year. He didn’t have any complaints at all, and fully understood the procedure. Three months later, it was all others who seemed to have an issue with it.
When Indians prominent in India get stuck in such manner in foreign countries it becomes news. I am sure many ordinary citizens too have to undergo such experiences that no one gets to know.
My experience
Probably such things happen in other countries as well in various degrees. A few years back when I was on an official trip to Malaysia, at the KL customs clearance, the official was quite puzzled at what he thought was the low amount of cash I carried. (I don’t remember exactly the figure.) He became suspicious.
The official asked me how I could spend seven days in Malaysia with that low amount of cash. I told I was on an invitation from the Tourism Board of Malaysia, it was an official, sponsored trip, and that I had an international credit card (which I promptly showed) for my personal purchases. He wasn’t convinced.
He asked me to go to a room nearby and wait. I complied. In the room, I got a feeling that I was being suspected of illegal entry into the country. Since even after waiting for 15 minutes no one called me, I approached an officer and narrated what had happened. I explained the purpose of my visit. He took my passport. I produced documentary evidence for all the claims I made, like invitation card, return ticket, office identity card, details of stay and transportation.
After some 20 minutes, the officer profusely apologized and explained why some people in flights from south India are more intensely scrutinized. I told him I fully understood his concerns. Exchange of a few pleasantries, and that was about it.
Scene in India
Let us accept: many of us have a distorted blown-up image about ourselves. That has become a part of our way of life: what is commonly called ‘VIP culture’. A very good manifestation of that self-importance is on our roads.
Why crib about what’s happening abroad, when what happens in our own country leaves a lot to be desired. A number of us take offence when security guards ask for identity card or ask intrusive questions like “whom do you want to meet?”
So many times I have seen people fighting with security guards over such issues. And many upright officials have paid the price for playing by the rule in India. Probably, the only fault I find in such personnel is that some of them aren’t as polite as they ought to be. Look at the way we behave on the roads, the sort of respect we give for other drivers and for traffic laws.
Discussion on my Twitter page (may be updated):
Me: If SRK refuses to travel to the US in future, will the US be bothered? Will the US lose anything bec of that?
ullasd: It is question of self pride.
rajimuth: Do they care about anything/anyone outside their know? They don’t need us, we do them
ullasd: I was only referring to the arrogance of US officials. Take the case of APJ…
Me: I dont know if we can call it ‘arrogance’ or ‘over-enthusiasm of a customs official to play by rules”. Maybe partly both..!!!
rajimuth: We are going nuts! SRK maybe a film icon, Indians, more fool us, may worship him,cant expect him to be treated like god in other countries.
rajimuth: SRK should take a lesson in grace and dignity from Kalam’s behaviour. He has been spoilt by needless adulation from fans
Some facts about US customs procedure
Here is an extract from The Times of India‘s Washington correspondent Chidanand Rajghatta’s despatch on the issue. Towards the end of the story he gives details of the customs procedure in the US. Very informative. Read the article here.
Inspection at a US Port of Entry: What to expect/What do CBP (Customs and Border Patrol) officials do?
- Upon arrival at the POE you must present your passport and other required documents. CBP officers will review these to determine whether to allow you to enter the US.
- Your first encounter with CBP officers will be at a primary inspection station where they ask foreign nationals questions to determine their identity and nationality.
- If they decide to admit you the CBP officer will also determine how long you will be allowed to stay in the US, and in what status you will be admitted.
- CBP officers review passports, visas, and other supporting documents of each and every foreign national arriving at a US POE. The CBP officers also compare fingerprint records and name check databases for recent derogatory information, ask questions about the foreign nationals general qualifications for the visas they have, review the Form I-94 Arrival and Departure Record (or, for Visa Waiver travelers, Form I-94W).
What Kind of questions do the CBP officers ask?
CBP officers at US POEs will ask you questions to determine the true intent of your trip to the US. Inspections Officers are trained, and have the experience to back up their training, to identify if a foreign national has a pre-conceived intent behind their trip to the US, i.e., they are looking to see if you are actually coming to go to school or for a job interview when you say you are coming to visit Disneyland. If an officer is not convinced with your initial statements, they may ask for additional supporting documentation be allowing you to enter the US.
CBP officials – their power and authority – what they can do?
CBP officers have complete power and authority at the POE. It is up to their discretion to conclude whether or not a foreign national is eligible to enter the US. It is only after a CBP officer stamps and dates the I-94 form, places an admission stamp in the foreign national’s passport, and the foreign national passes through the inspection station that the foreign national is admitted to the United States.
Secondary Inspection – what leads you to a secondary inspection?
If the first CBP officer that a foreign national meets feels that the inspection requires additional time for review to determine a foreign national’s eligibility, the officer may refer the foreign national for a “secondary inspection.” This secondary inspection is a much more comprehensive review, and can take several hours to complete. Generally a foreign national referred for secondary inspection is not considered to be “admitted” to the United States.
What generally happens in a secondary inspection?
In secondary inspection, CBP officers will ask a foreign national more detailed questions about their travel plans for the US. Foreign nationals may even be asked to produce additional identification and other documentation in order to determine their actual identity and purpose of their visit to the United States. The foreign national and their belongings may also be searched, and the foreign national may be required to give a full set of fingerprints.
Any person, foreign national or person with a claim to US citizenship and presenting a US passport, may be sent to secondary inspection if the CBP officer has reservations about admitting him to the United States. A person may also be sent to secondary inspection if there is a possibility the person is smuggling contraband or violating any other customs or immigration regulations, or federal law in general.
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